Paramount Pictures’ A Quiet Place Part II and Disney’s Cruella kicked off the summer movie season with strong openings. The domestic box office was led by John Krasinski‘s A Quiet Place Part II, which grossed $48.4 million for its first three days and is projected to take in $58.5 million over the four-day Memorial Day.
The sequel debuted in 3,726 theaters and averaged a strong $12,753 per location. Internationally, the film grossed $22 million, with $15 million coming from China.
$4.1 million of the film’s weekend total came from domestic IMAX theaters, while $1 million was earned at overseas IMAX theaters. The four-day global IMAX total is expected to be $6 million.
“A Quiet Place Part II is the first domestic release this year to cross the threshold from ‘great opening weekend given the pandemic’ to ‘great opening weekend, period’ – offering undeniable proof that the domestic box office is back,” said Rich Gelfond, CEO of IMAX. “The film’s stellar results give the box office a strong jolt of momentum heading into the summer, and the many blockbusters that held out for an exclusive theatrical release stand to benefit.”
The first A Quiet Place opened in April of 2018 and grossed $50.2 million its first three-day weekend. It went on to gross $340.9 million worldwide on a budget of just $17 million. The sequel, which received an A- CinemaScore from audiences, cost about $61 million to make.
Directed by Krasinski, A Quiet Place Part II stars Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou. Krasinski also makes an appearance in the film. A third movie is already in development for a 2022 release.
Disney’s Cruella debuted in second place with an estimated $21.3 million for its first three days and is projected to take in $26.5 million over the long holiday weekend. Internationally, the live-action adaptation brought in $16.1 million its first weekend.
Receiving an A CinemaScore, Cruella is also available to watch on Disney+ with an additional Premier Access fee of $29.99. Next weekend, the movie will open in such countries as China and Russia.
The top international markets so far are Mexico with $2.6 million, Korea with $2.5 million, UK with $2.2 million, Australia with $1.3 million and Spain with $900,000.
Directed by Craig Gillespie, Cruella stars Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser, Emily Beecham, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and Mark Strong.
Universal’s F9 isn’t opening in North America until June 25, but the ninth installment of The Fast Saga brought in another $30.9 million at the international box office this weekend for a total of $229 million.
The movie grossed $20.8 million just in China this weekend and is up to $185.3 million in the country already. Other hot spots are Korea with $15.2 million, Russia with $13.3 million, and Saudi Arabia with $5.5 million.
The Fast & Furious franchise is one of only six franchises to reach $6 billion and with the fewest number of films (10 including F9).
Directed by Justin Lin, F9 stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, John Cena, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, with Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell, and Charlize Theron.